A whole latte love

Thank you all for your comments and support regarding my engagement! And look, here's an actual photo of us!


(Photo by my friend Ben, who just got married himself!)

Have I ever mentioned to you, my dear, sparse readership, how I met this fellow? It's coffee-related!

Brett (my beau) works as an administrator at a university around the corner from one of the Joe shops.

While I noticed him right away, he, er, did not take quite the same instant interest in my little self. Can't really say as I blame him; It was a, how do you say, transitional period for me (read: I looked a bit like a boy, as seen here, and was incredibly shy around strangers.).

For the next couple of months, Brett would come in every day, chat friendlily with whoever was at the counter, get his coffee and go back to work. I was too shy to say hello, despite having immediately developed a crush on him. But my colleagues kept saying "Oh, Meister, you'd like that guy. He's a writer! He loves old movies!" and a thousand other things about him that did, in fact, hint that I would like him quite a bit. I knew I had to do something to get him to notice me.

In the seven years I have been a barista, I've had a tradition of baking batches of cookies for my favorite regulars. Two Christmases ago, I baked ginger molasses cookies from scratch—royal icing, to boot!—and gave them out to eight or ten people, Brett included, even though we had not yet said a word to each other.

When he came back from his winter break, however, it was as though we had been friends for ages, just chattering away at each other on opposite sides of the counter, talking about anything and everything.

It wasn't long before we were inseparable friends (even as my hair was growing out), or before I fell completely in love with him, or before I admitted as much to him, and finally, last summer we found our way into a wonderful, warm and easy romance.

Now, here we are, like espresso and milk: Pretty good individually, but fantastic together.


(Photo by Drake King.)

Here's to coffee romance and finally crossing the counter to find the person who percs you up. Get it? Percs!

(So don't be shy, you guys! You never know.)